How to Get Cheap Flights on the Internet (a sneaky trick)

Up until about two years ago I was one of those people that was happy exploring my own backyard, with an annual road trip thrown in and a few weekends away added to the mix as well.

I guess that's more than some people, but it wasn't really until I ventured overseas that I realised that there is so much of this world that I want to see and explore, and some of that is in our very own backyard too, the lovely Australia.

I want to save as much money as I can on getting to the destination so I can indulge in a cocktail or two, or a little shopping here or there. You know what I'm talking about, right?

As well as getting the travel bug in the past few years, my family and I have also made a big change from the City to the Country. It means that we're away from family, and friends, and all the good stuff that comes from living in the City {oh you know, the good food, the vibe, the fun stuff, and most of all, being in the middle of the action}.

It also means that each year we're spending a big part of our budget to get back down to Sydney from the Gold Coast to see the people we adore (and eat the food we just can't get in our new home, and yes you just can't know what I mean unless you've made the big move yourself. I'm not obsessed, I promise).

Depending on the time of year, and how disorganised we are, the flights can be almost affordable (around $120 per person return) to utter-nonsense (around $300+ per person return).

It's one of those secrets that's almost too good to share, in case the sharing of the secret puts a stop to the good stuff. And by good stuff I mean totally INSANE flight prices.

So, if by sharing this it means that there are no more cheap prices and I have to go back to paying UTTERLY RIDICULOUS prices to fly back to my former-home, I'm sorry. Sorry to me, my budget and anyone else who used to do this sneaky business too.

I found out through a friend of a friend that if you go to a foreign Expedia site to buy your flights you save money. And not just a little. Last weekend I flew to Sydney return from the Gold Coast for $65. I've seen them for $45 too. Crazy.

2. Yes, it's all in Japanese. So go up to the top right corner and click English (next to the Twitter icon). Much better, right?

4. Eeek. The prices are in Yen. That's cool. Use a currency conversion tool to convert it into Australia dollars (or where ever you're from). This isn't exact, but it was almost spot on for me.

5. Choose your flights and purchase them. Some credit cards won't work. My Visa did. I incurred a $1 fee PLUS the flight costs. I also signed up to Expedia Japan so I could get my itinerary, I suggest doing the same although you will receive an email confirmation from Jetstar Airlines and Expedia.

Chantelle Ellem is a blogger, photo-taker, explorer, mama, wife and avid raspberry-eater. If she's not connected to her computer whipping up a blog post, she's more than likely out at the beach taking photos. You can read her blog at: www.fatmumslim.com.au.

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New York: Sheraton Tribeca's Saucy 5-Day Cinco de Mayo Unique

Just in case you're still hankering to continue yesterday's Cinco de Mayo actions (or missed out ),you're in luck! From now until May 10th, New York's Sheraton Tribeca includes a especially extended Cinco de Mayo discount in their Dutch Lounge hotel bar. That deal fits in using their loyalty plan, a subject we've been speaking a good deal about recently. Therefore, if you like to really get your Patron and points on, for each margarita acquired from the Dutch Lounge from 5-7pm, you'll make 50 SPG points (max 300 SPG points, per member per day). To obtain the things, provide your SPG card to the waitress when you place your order. [Photo: Sheraton Tribeca]

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Mom Points - United Re-Introducing Subscribers for Combined Membership, Economy Plus and Bags

Iam off to the airport fleetingly (yay!), therefore will keep this short for now, but I wanted to move on the news that United shared today on Flyertalk that they will be re-introducing dues for United Club, Economy Plus sitting, and examined bags.A Some tips about what United posted on Flyertalk: I wanted to give you a heads up on many full-year request goods weare planning to release within the next several weeks: United Club: Weare re-introducing a full-year United Club membership to be purchased by the option with prize miles. Pricing begins at 40,000 miles (or $400), depending on Premier status.Economy Plus: Weare also re-introducing the option to purchase Economy Plus for a complete year, with the notable difference that weall have different pricing and membership by location (domestic 48, The United States, intra-Asia, etc. ).Checked baggage: Clients will have the brand new option to purchase 1 or 2 checked bags for a complete year. Pricing will change predicated on quantity of bags and region. As of today, weare soft-launching these items on the Preview website, with rollout to the general public version of united.com within the next handful of months. All of the above products, in addition to settled United Club subscriptions, will include the ability to self-serve using a aManage Subscriptionsa site in the My Account section of united.com. Through this website, you can even make the most of several new functions, including auto-renewal and giving alternatives. If youare an associate of the Preview site, make sure to reveal your feedback via the remarks section on the top-right of preview.united.com. Eventually, take note that as weare however in Preview phase, any subscriptions purchased through the Preview site can only be achieved through the Preview site until we move to complete united.com launch. Meaning seat selections for Economy Plus, bags at check-in, etc., as well as operation for giftees access will be needed by them to the Preview site as well). I'd much rather get the co-branded United MileagePlus Explorer card that comes with a checked bag plus added gains than pay for an annual membership for merely a free checked bag, but that is only me.A I also benefit miles larger than 1 cent per mile, so could not spend 40,000 miles for a club membership, but that may make sense for some one that's more miles than they know very well what to do with.A I am interested in viewing the Economy Plus facts as that is among the major reasons to press for elite status with United.A Iall keep you posted as I discover more, but in the meantime you can see some remarks on the related FT thread or Iad love to hear your ideas. Have a great week-end!

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Cutbacks Have Smithsonian Down, But Not Out

"A reduction in a contract for security that supplements the Smithsonian security force affects some museums. The safety and security of the public and our collections will not be compromised," said a notice on the Smithsonian website.

While no major exhibitions will be closed, the commons in the Smithsonian Castle, one room in the African Mosaic exhibit and sections of the permanent collection galleries in the Hirshhorn Museum will be unavailable for a short time.

On a positive note, the Smithsonian, a top budget travel destination, has a number of new exhibits underway of particular interest to fans of space travel that are unaffected.

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How Did China Misplace 27000 Streams?

Just before conducting the water census, China estimated that it'd up to 50,000 waters inside of its boundaries. But the studies of the three-year study indicate that that number is clearly 22,909. That is a loss of more than 27,000 rivers with a total water volume that would be about the exact carbon copy of the Mississippi River. That's a significant amount of water to possess totally vanished. So just what happened to all of the rivers? China blames their disappearance on two facets a' obsolete mapping techniques and world wide climate change. In a meeting with the South China Morning Post, China's Deputy Director of the Ministry of Water Resources, Huang He, mentioned that the original estimate was probably too much due to incorrect topographic maps that trace their origin back again to the 1950s. He also recognized that climate change has generated the loss of both water and earth through the duration of China. Environmental activists are not certain, but. While many admit that better mapping engineering has no doubt led to a far more accurate stream count, there is a widely held opinion that China's booming economy and terrible document on protecting the environment both had a huge effect on the loss of these waterways. This really is evident in the slow, but steady, drop in water levels on the country's two longest rivers, the Yangtze and Yellow. Considering how fast China's population is growing and its towns and cities are modernizing, there's great fear that the almost 23,000 rivers that do exist there will not be sufficient to meet up the demands added to them in the 21st century and beyond. To produce matters worse, many of those waters already are considerably polluted, that will likely lead to a number of other health conditions as time goes on. China won't be the only real country coping with water shortages as time goes by if climatologists are to be assumed. Climate change is drying up rivers throughout the world, not to mention changing weather patterns and creating droughts. The distinction is that most other nations do not have a population anywhere near the size of China's and most are not inflicting as much harm on their rivers whilst the Asian country. Predicting what the near future holds is a difficult proposition. But lets hope that when China takes its 2nd National Census of Water it does not lose more than half of its rivers once again. [Photo Credit: Luo Shaoyang via WikiMedia] Submitted under: Activism, Asia, China, Ecotourism, News

Consistent Miler - Visa Gift Cards 2% cash straight back. Today just

Today just (Monday, April 28 2013), the cash back portal, TopCashback, is providing the next day cash back when buying gift cards after clicking right through to GiftCardMall.A TopCashback usually gives 1.5% cash back for GiftCardMall, however the rate is going to dip down seriously to 1000 by Thursday, May 2nd.A So, the expected cash back agenda for buying Visa gift cards at GiftCardMall via TopCashback is: Now that Visa gift cards can be setup with PINs, they've be much more interesting because they can now be loaded to Bluebird (see aGift card PINsa and aBluebird swipe reloads via ATMa and aBetter than free manufactured spenda). Iave analyzed Visa gift cards from GiftCardMall and I came across that, once activated, it's possible to just utilize the last 4 digits of the gift card as its PIN (you can also set your personal PIN online if you prefer ).A Using the last 4 digits while the PIN, I effectively packed my Bluebird card at Walmart. Please read this post: How exactly to use Amex gift cards to buy GiftCardMall gift cards and earn a Many questions you may have are (ideally) already answered there, if you desire to buy these gift cards with an Amex gift card. How it affects promotions like these, here you go: and the following information was provided for me by TopCashback.A If youare enthusiastic about their business model TCb makes money through the Google Adverts which can be dotted around its pages (and obviously marked as non-cashback earning) and by trying to sell on-site advertising space to merchants. In the latteras case, the vendor *must* also offer an increased rate of cashback a' so people are gaining a little bit extra as well. Cashback charges are always at least 100 % (where permitted) of what TCbas settled. If a rate increases for a of time, thatas either because a the merchant has purchased advertising space so has had to increase its cashback rate to stay line with the TCb advertising policies or b) thereas some spare TCb advertising budget that can be put towards offering people a greater rate of cashback with a certain merchant for a little period of time. If a cashback price decreases, itas because c) TCbas free advertising budget has been taken from the rate; d) the promotion period for a merchant has finished, and so the rateas dropping back to its standard amount or e) the merchant has said it is decreasing what it's ready to pay TCb as standard. Nonetheless, aside from which reason, the cashback charge displayed will soon be 100% of what TCb is paid. Posted by FrequentMiler

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Santa Monica: We Lived The Life Aquatic At The Shore Hotel

Last week, we gave you our full review of Blue Plate Taco, the scene-y Mexican restaurant attached to The Shore Hotel. Despite reading constant positive reviews about this place, we were a little underwhelmed by the so-so tacos and poorly mixed cocktails.

Suffice to say, we were a little disappointed. However, there's still one (major) part of the experience that we haven't gotten to yet: our stay at the hotel itself!

We booked a Garden View Junior Suite, which, as the name implies, doesn't actually face the ocean but rather a small ground-floor patio tucked around the back of the hotel.

Far off in the distance we could spy a little bit of ocean, as well as the top half of the ferris wheel at Santa Monica Pier. But the fact that we were staying at an oceanfront hotel (literally, on the "shore") never once escaped us. For starters, the lobby is a giant gray cube that lets in plenty of natural light, including views of the beach across the street.

More importantly though, the design is incredibly water-focused. Pretty much everything—from the stark silvery hallways to the pool to the guest rooms' aquamarine decor—made us feel like we were underwater.

Our suite was rectangular (a tad on the small side, if we have to be totally honest) with bluish-green and gray walls, and a matching stripe-patterned carpet that reminded us of long strands of seaweed. On one side of the bed was a peekaboo shower that contributed a visual element of splashing water, and on the other side was a small balcony where we could sit and feel the ocean breezes coming in off the Pacific.

Rooms are built fairly close together at The Shore, so when you're sitting on your balcony (every room in the hotel comes with a balcony), you're in plain view of your neighbors. But everyone is minding their own business anyway, so it wasn't an issue.

As far as amenities: our room came with free WiFi, a flat-screen TV, bathrobes, Aveda toiletries, plenty of closet space, and a complimentary glass of champagne upon our arrival. (The latter was a nice touch!). Oh, and our room had an iPod docking station so we could plug in our iPhone and jam out to Frank Ocean songs (get it?).

Surrounded by all those aqua-y colors, we could feel the call of the sea pretty much the whole time. But since the weather wasn't cooperating, we traded in a day at the beach for a heavenly pre-breakfast soak in the jacuzzi. In fact, we ended up having the whole jacuzzi to ourselves, which gave us a chance to take a minute and gaze up at the hotel's dramatic architecture. The building is U-shaped, meaning that all inner-facing rooms (which ours wasn't) look down on the pool/jacuzzi area. And since the pool faces the street, there is a frosted glass wall that provides a buffer between pedestrians and bathing hotel guests.

Don't expect more from your stay at The Shore other than a pretty room with direct access to the beach. The entire hotel is essentially made up of four components—rooms, pool, restaurant, and lobby—and that's about it.

So far, the lobby has failed to create much of a 'scene' (there are some comfy benches to sit on, and a small counter for tea/coffee/pastries in the mornings—none of which, interestingly, were free for guests) and felt a little barren to us. (Kind of like how we picture things on the ocean floor.) As for the restaurant, you already know how we feel about that.

However, we'd definitely come back to stay here, and we recommend this place to folks looking for a quiet, relaxing, simple beach getaway (with the added bonus of staying at a green hotel). We think Spongebob Squarepants fans, in particular, would feel right at home.

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